‘Native scholars’ program inspires Indian teens

SAN DIEGO -- Drawing on lessons about the American Indian past,instructors at a summer program hope to inspire a group of youngIndian students to make a college education an important part oftheir future.

Two dozen students from tribes in North County and as far northas Alaska are participating in the Young Native Scholars Program, atwo-week residential experience at UC San Diego aimed at preparinghigh school students for college.

“It’s a holistic approach to education, looking to bringacademic achievement and improvement of self-esteem,” said MarcChavez, program coordinator at UCSD. “It’s about giving them a realtaste of college life.”

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Each day, students in the program get up at 6 a.m. and begin theday with an hour of exercise that may include surfing, kayaking,yoga or karate. After breakfast, they go to class to study videoproduction, Web-site development or one of various culturallearning lectures.

In the afternoon, the students take field trips, attend artsclasses and get to know each other in “talking circle"discussions.

“It’s important that you learn about your culture, because it’swhat ties you as people and as tribes,” said Starr Montoya, amember of the Barona Band of Mission Indians in East County.

Montoya was teaching the students Tuesday morning how to makeacorn mush, a staple of ancient Southern California Indian peoplethat she learned from her mother and grandmother how to cook. Shesaid it has become tradition to make the meal that local tribescall “shawee” or “weewis” at funerals or at special occasions fortribal elders.

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Program instructors said it is important for Indian teens torealize that they are part of a larger historical tradition in theregion than just their reservation homes.

“It’s important for us to know for example that the word’Kumeyaay’ (the name for a tribe that includes most Indian bandsfrom San Pasqual in North County to Ensenada, Mexico) meanscliffs,” Chavez said. “This entire area was highly populated (byindigenous people) and they had constant contact with the sea.”

While some students were learning about foods their ancestorsate, others were putting the finishing touches on 30-second videoson computers. The digital video projects include subjects rangingfrom anti-drunk driving announcements to Indian pride ads.

“One of the most important things they will learn here is how tobe digital historians and media advocates,” said Shonta Chaloux,community resources coordinator with the Southern California TribalChairman’s Association, a group representing most SouthernCalifornia tribes.

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“They will be able to document their own stories and importantevents in their communities, instead of others doing it for them,"he said.

The tribal chairman’s association helped fund the program, whichis free to the students.

Though the program has been around for about 30 years, this isthe first time that it has been able to host students living on thecampus, Chavez said. It ends Saturday with a student recognitiondinner at the university.

Students said they already appreciate what they’veexperienced.

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“It’s a great opportunity. I feel very proud to have been chosenfrom the more than 100 applicants who applied,” said SavannahStoneburner, 15, who lives on the remote North County reservationof Los Coyotes. “You realize that college life isn’t all fun andgames. It’s really hard work.”

Stoneburner said she may return to UCSD once she graduates fromhigh school to study to be a neurosurgeon.